Fallen Friend
by Waywatcher
Summary: One-shot. Asriel was not expecting to find anything important when he went to the Drop. A friend, prickly and distrustful as they may be, is more than he could possibly have asked for.


**Disclaimer** **:** **I don't own Undertale, all rights to the owner.**

 **Here you all go: a random story idea I thought up while browsing the internet. Someone's probably done it before but whatever. It doesn't change much anyways.**

 **This isn't my best work, I probably need more time writing these characters before I find something that works, but this isn't horrible. It's a bit all over the place though, I'm just throwing ideas out here.**

* * *

Asriel was _not_ expecting to find anything important when he went to the Drop. Some fallen branches from the surface at best. A _person_ , especially a _human_ , was beyond his wildest expectations. They have pale skin and dark brown hair, and are lying face down in the dirt. They're twice as tall as Asriel, but they have a striped shirt so that means they're a kid!

"Hey, wake up!" The boy chirps, poking the human in the cheek. They grunt in pain, their hands grip the flowers and dirt tightly as they try to push themselves to their feet. Asriel hurries to help them up, and despite a minor fight they don't really have the energy to resist.

Their height is a bit of an issue. The human is thin for sure, but Asriel isn't exactly strong. Thankfully the human can (sorta) stand, so they lean on the young monster as he escorts the human into the Ruins.

"Who…?" The human rasps in Asriel's ear. The prince glances up to meet the human's red eyes with his black ones.

"I'm Asriel!" The boy says eagerly. "What's your name?"

"Chara." They respond curtly.

"Howdy Chara!" Asriel says as warmly as they can muster. "Don't worry, Mom will get you healed real quick!"

The rest of the walk takes place in silence. Chara glances around constantly, eyes narrowed in distrust. They glare at everything that moves, be it a froggit or just some spiders selling some (pretty awful) pastries.

"Mooom!" The boy calls as soon as they get close to the old house. Asriel never lived in the old house, Mom and Dad had moved out long before that happened. "Mom! I need your help!"

"Asriel, haven't I told you that's _not_ how you ask for help?" A clear, sharp voice calls from the old stone building. A taller monster in blue robes steps out, "Now what is- oh my!"

"They need healing!" Asriel says as his mother rushes over to attend to the human. "Their name is Chara."

"Hello child." The monster murmurs. Her hands are already coursing with green healing energy. The human is too weak to shy away from her touch, and the magic starts knitting their broken muscles and bones back together. "I am Toriel Dreemurr, just Toriel is fine. Asriel!"

"Yes Mom?"

"Make sure the guest room is clean, and fetch some water, food, and bandages."

"Okay! You'll be fine Chara, Mom and I will help you!"

###

Asriel watches from the doorway as his mother uses her magic to heal Chara. He _really_ wants to talk with the human, but Toriel insists her son not enter the room for the time being to "give the child some space to heal."

"Hey there Son." A deep rumbling voice chuckles from behind the young monster. "What are you peeking at?"

"Shh!" Asriel murmurs. "I'm watching my new friend! I found them in the Drop!"

"New friend?" Asgore murmurs, and peers in the door himself. Were anyone watching, they would see a massive man in bulky armor trying to squish his face against the wall to see in a doorway. "Oh my. Asriel, is that-?"

"A human!" He says excitedly. "Isn't that cool!?"

"Yes… I suppose it is." Asgore nods. He does look happy, but there's a hint of curiosity and caution in his face.

"I'm done, and seeing as the two of you aren't going to listen to me you might as well come in." Toriel says with exasperation in her tone. She didn't turn around once, but knew they were there.

" _How does she always know I'm watching?_ " Asriel asks himself as he steps inside. "H-Heya again Chara."

The human stares at him, and then quietly says. "You move too much, it catches the eye."

It takes Asriel a moment to understand they're talking about his stealth skills, or lack thereof. "Ah, well… th-this is my father!" He stammers, changing the subject and pointing to the armored man.

"Greetings child." The monster chuckles, and gives a sweeping bow Chara. "I am Asgore, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Chara's mouth thins into a line. They nod curtly in response, and one of their hands subtly reaches down to rest near their hip. It's only at this point Asriel notices the belt they're wearing and the sheathed knife sitting just under their hand.

"If I may ask… how did you come to be in the Underground?" Asgore asks, taking a seat at the other end of the room. "We don't exactly have humans coming around here often."

"And by that he means never!" Asriel chimes in.

Toriel gives her son a look that says: "you're not helping." The boy promptly shuts his mouth.

"I fell down a hole." Chara rasps. "That's it, nothing special."

"That's all?" Asgore says, obviously surprised. "No spell involved? No magic?"

"No."

"I see… well, be that as it may, welcome to the Underground. This is Home, or the Ruins as the young ones call it." The man says quietly. "We can escort you to the Barrier where you can leave this place."

"No." Chara shakes their head. "I'd rather not."

"But why?" Toriel asks, worried.

"The surface is dangerous." They say curtly. "And I'm not a fan of the people there."

"I-I see." Toriel says. She shares a glance with Asgore, who nods in understanding. "Well, if you'd like to stay with us for a while, that would be acceptable. We'd be more than happy to put you up for a while."

"Really?" Chara mutters, eyes narrowing. "Why? What do you have to gain?"

"Nothing child, we have no ulterior motive." Toriel placates.

"And what motive is that?" The human asks. "People don't just let others live with them for no reason."

Asgore smiles patiently, ignoring for this moment his worry about what must have happened to this child to warp their worldview this way. "We care for the safety of everyone, not just ourselves. It's our duty as the royal family."

"Royal… you're a king?" Chara asks in alarm. Their head whips to stare at Asriel. "You're a prince!?"

"Yeah!" He nods, smiling. "Cool, right?"

"Yes… very." The human murmurs shrewdly. "Toriel was it? I accept your offer."

###

"You're a weird kid, you know that?" Asriel says.

"And you're normal?" Chara responds dryly. "You're a bunny-goat _thing_."

"Hey, that's perfectly normal!" He pouts. "At least I don't sleep with a knife under my pillow!"

"Well that's because I'm _smart_." They scoff. "And if that makes me abnormal, I'll take it."

"But you don't _need_ a knife under your pillow!"

"Of course I do. It's for safety."

Asriel tries not to grimace. It's been a week but Chara still hasn't internalized that they're safe with the royal family.

"Asriel." His mother's tone is sharp. She doesn't say more, but he knows not to push further. Chara's odd habits are off limits.

"Sorry…"

The four of them walk in silence. It's been an hour since they left the Ruins, and Asriel still hasn't found something Chara will talk about happily. They claim not to have any hobbies, and haven't shown interest in anything else.

"So…" Asriel tries again. "Humans have magic, right?"

"Some."

"Do _you_ have magic?"

"Some."

"Can I see it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Chara is silent.

" _Okay… I'm running out of ideas here_." Ariel frowns.

###

When the prince stepped into his and Chara's shared room in the Snowdin Inn, he was not expecting to meet with such a terrifying sight. "Augh!"

"Asriel, knock first!" Chara snaps, hiding their face with their sleeves.

Asriel pants from where he's sitting on the floor in the hallway. His heart is still racing from the sight. "Wh-What was that!?"

"That was some of my magic." They snarl. " _That's_ why I don't show it to anyone!"

"Wh-What were you doing that for anyways?"

"I can't control it. It just happens sometimes." Chara says.

"Well it's cool! I mean… it's really freaky, but it's cool! What's it called?!"

The human lowers their arms, their face having returned to normal. "Cool, you think my demon face is _cool_?"

"Yeah, it's-"

"You're _foolish_ then!" Chara snaps. They lower their arms, face turned back to normal.

"Wha-? Why?!"

"Right, you wouldn't know, would you?" They say, and sigh. "Nevermind. What did you want?"

"I-I just wanted to tell you dinner is ready."

###

"We call it the Wishing Room."

"Huh." Chara murmurs, staring up at the roof. "You know what, I think these are _better_ than real stars."

"Really?" Asriel says. "Still, I want to know what the real ones look like."

"They're more yellow than teal." The human murmurs. "They twinkle, and have different intensities… but none of them are as bright as these."

"I remember the stars." Asgore murmurs, putting an arm around Toriel while watching the two children. "Do you?"

"Of course." Toriel chuckles. "I remember a certain someone making a fool of himself trying to remember the constellations to impress me."

"Ahaha…"

"You know on the surface there's a saying about stars. Apparently if you wish on a shooting one, your wish will come true."

"A _shooting_ star?" Asriel gasps. "What's that?"

"It's actually a comet that leaves a trail light when it moves through space." Chara says.

"Cool…"

"That's what you say about _everything_."

"Because it's true! Everything _is_ cool!"

"I _wish_ I had your innocence Asriel." Chara sighs.

Asgore and Toriel share a worried look behind the childrens' backs, but quickly school their features. They didn't stay rulers of a kingdom without learning to hide their emotions when needed.

"I am _not_ innocent!"

"You totally are."

"No! I've had the talk!"

Chara raises an eyebrow. "And you think that makes you an adult?"

"Yes!"

The human snorts and shakes their head. "Geeze Asriel you're practically a snowflake…"

"What?"

"Nevermind goat boy."

"I'm _not_ a goat!"

"Goat-bunny boy." The human teases further. "Innocent, childish, goat-bunny snowflake child."

"Chara!" Asriel pouts, a slight blush showing through their fur. "Stooop!"

Chara sneers playfully. "Make me."

The prince leaps at the taller human, tackling them to the floor. Chara easily get the upper hand with their superior strength though, and Asriel quickly finds themselves pinned to the floor with the human sitting on their chest.

"Come on bunny, you gotta do better than that." The human teases, poking him in the nose. "Some warrior you are."

Asriel pouts as he struggles in vain to push Chara off them. They're not even heavy, just _really_ strong considering how frail they look. "Chara, get off!"

"Make me." They repeat, grinning. "Goat boy."

"I'm not a goat!"

"Suuure…"

###

"I'm not a fan of the water…" Chara mumbles reluctantly.

"Come on Chara! It's warm!" Asriel chirps. He dives under the surface for a moment, and pops back up a few meters away. "Even Mom and Dad are coming in! Come on!"

The human purses their lips, red eyes narrowing in contemplation. Asriel waggles their eyebrows, trying to bait them into joining him. "Fine, fine. Do we have clean bandages for afterwards?"

"Clean bandages? Why?" The prince asks, tilting his head in confusion. "Are you still injured?"

"No." They say curtly, and call to Toriel. "Miss Dreemurr, do we have fresh bandages for afterwards? I don't have extras of my own!"

The older monster looks confused for a moment, so Chara raises the bottom of their shirt to show the band of bandages wrapped tightly around their chest, and Toriel suddenly nods in understanding. "Yes child, we do. I'll leave them on the tree for you."

Chara thanks her, and then strips out of their clothing. They leave their ratty, half-ruined sweater, and old shoes on the edge of the pond. Asriel tries not to stare, but he's curious. Chara has a thick band of bandages tied tight around their entire upper body. Not _bloody_ bandages though, Chara doesn't seem to have an injury. Asriel wonders what the point is.

Their new friend is also littered with scars. Their stomach has a number of white lines across it, and the same goes for their shoulders and back. They have a few signs of more serious wounds like some thick scar tissue on their waist.

Chara steps into the water, and then dives under the surface entirely. Asriel eagerly moves under themselves, and when they open their eyes under the water's surface they can see their human friend watching them from the other side of the pond. Chara grins, and Asriel watches with curiosity as a small trickle of black liquid escapes their mouth and dissipates into the water.

The prince remembers that liquid, he caught a glimpse of it when he accidentally saw Chara's so-called "demon face".

Asriel smiles back and laughs, forgetting for a moment that he's underwater, and has to rush to the surface to spit out the water in his lungs. Chara pops back up too, and laughs at the boy's sputtering.

###

"Welcome home Chara!" Asriel shouts, opening his arms wide and grinning madly. "This is, well, Home!"

" _New_ Home specifically." Toriel sighs. "Isn't that right dear?"

"Wait, this place is actually called "New Home"?" Chara snorts. "Geez Mister Dreemurr, don't _strain_ yourself."

Asgore chuckles. "I know, I know. I'm no good with names, but everyone wanted _me_ to choose."

"Come on Chara, I'll show you my room!" Asriel says eagerly, grabbing the human by the arm.

The prince leads his friend down the stone halls of the New Home palace. The numerous carpets and tapestries gives some colour to the otherwise monochrome grey of the building. Chara barely has time to look at any of it though because Asriel is dragging them through the building at full speed.

Asriel is excited to show his friend his room, his life, what makes living here so good. He wants to feel happy here, especially because they'll be staying with them for a while. A good first impression is important!

"Tada!" Asriel cries, throwing open the room to his door. His excited expression is immediately replaced with horror.

"Oh yes, how impressive." Chara says with an amused grin, watching as the boy runs about frantically shoving his dirty clothes into the hamper and putting away all the toys strewn about the room. "I totally understand the appeal."

Asriel flushes as he jams the last toy into the toy box. "Th-That's not what I meant for you to see!"

"Oh really?" Chara chuckles. "I thought you were showing off your organizational skills."

The prince pouts, embarrassed. "Don't mock me!"

"Mock you? Never." The human snickers. "I'm impressed, really. I like the plush goat..."

"Chara…" Asriel frowns, fully expecting what comes next.

"...goat boy."

"I am _not_ a goat!"

"Baaah!" Chara say, sticking out her tongue.

"I _don't_ baah!"

###

Asriel isn't one to eavesdrop, but he's curious. Mom called Chara to speak alone with her and the prince wants to know what they're talking about. That's why he has his ear pressed to the door, straining to listen to the relatively quiet voices inside.

"Chara dear."

"Yes Miss Dreemurr?"

"I have something to ask you. I plan on purchasing some clothes for you today, and I want to know your size for _that_.

"Don't bother. I prefer bandages."

"But isn't that uncomfortable…?"

"A bit. It's practical though, makes it easier to move around without them getting in the way and keeps away unwanted attention."

Asriel can imagine his mother pursing her lips here. "You're not in the military dear."

"Survival, military, they're not that different."

"You're safe here my child. You're not _surviving_ anymore."

"Still, I'd prefer bandages."

Asriel hears his mother sigh heavily. "If you insist dear."

That ends the conversation, and Asriel quickly scampers away before either of them leave the room. It's a few minutes later when he's back in his bedroom when he realizes… he doesn't quite know what they were talking about. He doesn't know why Chara wears bandages in the first place, but his mother wanted Chara to replace them with… something?

Maybe'll ask Chara later, but he doubts it's important.

###

"I'm a girl." Chara says flatly.

"What?!" Asriel gapes. "I didn't even realize!"

"And that means my bandages are doing their job." She snorts.

"That still doesn't explain what they're for!"

Chara raises an eyebrow. "Some adult you are."

"But I am!" Asriel whines. "I know I still have the striped shirt and all, but I'm _close_ to being an adult at least!"

"What do you mean you still have the striped shirt…?" She asks, tilting her head.

"That's how monsters know who's a kid and who isn't!" The prince explains. "A lot of monsters look different, so it can be hard to tell the difference between a kid and an adult. That's why all kids wear striped shirts, so others can tell the difference!"

"Oh." Chara glances down at their ratty striped sweater. "So you think I'm a kid?"

"Yeah!"

"That explains a lot. Well, in human terms I'm an adult." The girl says, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm nineteen, and the age of adulthood is eighteen."

"Only eighteen!? Asriel gasps.

"What? How old are you?" Chara asks.

"I'm two hundred and forty three." Asriel says.

"Wow." The human snorts. "You're an old man!"

"Am not!"

"In human years you'd be _dead_ by now." Chara scoffs.

"You don't even live two hundred and forty years?!" The prince shouts, looking horrified.

"We barely live for a hundred!" The girl snorts. "Humans are rats in everything but name! We infest the world, ruin everything, and breed like mad! To top it off we even _kill_ each other! Humans are the worst."

"Well they're not all bad… you're pretty cool." Asriel says tentatively.

Chara huffs and lies back in her bed. "If you say so."

"I do!"

"Sure…"

###

"Come on, show me!"

"No."

"I promise I won't freak out this time! Pleaaaase?"

" _No_ Asriel."

"But it was cool!"

"It's not _cool_ , it's ugly."

"Please please please please pleaaase?"

Chara scowls at the eager boy looking eagerly at her from across the room. "My demon face is _not_ cool. It's the reason so many people called me a demon child when I was growing up!"

"Oh…" Asriel deflates, but only for a moment. "Well I won't, so show me! I promise to be nice!"

The girl crosses her arms in defiance. "No."

"Come on Chara, I'll show you some of my magic in exchange!" The prince offers.

"Fireballs are _not_ the same as a demon face." Chara groans. "Look, I have _other_ magic I can show you if you really want to see me do something."

"You do!?"

"Yes, I'm a messermaniac." The girl says, pulling her knife from its sheath. She carefully inspects the blade for scratches, despite that fact it hasn't been used at all and she always keeps it in immaculate condition. "Well, messer _kinetic_ , the 'maniac' suffix actually means something else but it sounds-"

"Cooler!"

"I was going to say 'less stupid', but yes, that too." She admits. "Anyways, I can do _this_."

Chara tosses the knife in the air, where it flips end over end for a moment before it stops and hangs motionless over her head. She holds up a hand and then flicks it to the side. The knife follows her motions, slicing through the air above her head. Chara's eyes glow red for a moment, and a dozen copies of the knife materialize around her.

"Wow."

"It's not much considering what I've seen you do." Chara shrugs. "But up on the surface, this is _crazy_ magic."

"No way…" Asriel breathes. "But the history books say humans can shoot fireballs like us!"

"That's ancient history." The girl snorts. "That was a millenia ago, most people don't even think that stuff's _real_ anymore."

The prince is astonished. The humans have forgotten so quickly? They've forgotten the war, they've forgotten their own magic, and they've probably forgotten monsters too in such a short time. "I… I can't believe it. Dad says we're still dealing with the aftermath of the war, but the humans have just forgotten?"

"It was generations ago." Chara shrugs. "Some war fought by our great great great great great great great great great grandparents? That's not something people _care_ about anymore."

Asriel shakes his head. "That's crazy…"

"Yeah, that's humanity in a nutshell."

###

"Can I spar too?"

Asgore glances over from where he's resting on a stool. Asriel is lying on his back a few feet away, totally exhausted from using so much of his magic. "You wish to learn to fight?"

"I want to see how I stack up to a proper warrior." Chara corrects, drawing her knife. "I already know how to fight. I didn't survive by being incompetent."

"Of course." The king chuckles. He rises to his feet, armor creaking, and stands at full height with his trident held at his side. The weapon, usually bright red, glows a faint blue from the protective magic coating it that prevents it from being lethal. Chara (reluctantly) hands over her blade for a moment to let Asgore enchant it, and quickly snatches it back as soon as he's done.

Asriel forces himself to sit up despite his exhaustion. He's eager to see his friend and his father duel.

To Chara's credit, for someone with no formal training they fare remarkably well. Their unending hail of magically-created knives is bothersome even for Asgore. Chara keeps the _actual_ knife in her hand where it sits unused. She can't get close enough to the king to actually stab him, the older warrior is smart enough to keep her at bay with his longer-reach weapon.

Even though Asgore knows Chara isn't nearly dangerous enough to challenge him, he takes her seriously so as to not belittle her. He respects her weapon, never letting her get in close, and makes an effort to avoid her _magical_ knives as if they're actually a threat to him.

It will only takes one swipe of his massive trident to end the fight, but Chara makes him work for that hit. She's as nimble as her physique would suggest, and a trident isn't a quick weapon to swing about. It's only after a dozen minutes of constant movement that Chara finally begins to tire. The strain of shooting nearly a hundred magic knives is starting to take its toll so Chara gives up on them and focuses entirely on trying to get close to the king.

It's clear Chara is more in her element _not_ using the magic knives. She slips under Asgore's guard several times and takes swipes at the joints in his armor. She's still not _quite_ fast enough but it's a marked improvement.

Eventually the spar comes to an end. Asgore gets a lucky swipe, clipping Chara in the shoulder, and sends her sprawling across the floor. She rolls back to her feet instantly, but the king calls an end to the battle.

"I think that's enough child." The old monster chuckles. "If we keep going at this rate, it will take _hours_. You've given a good showing, I'm impressed."

Chara frowns. "I didn't even manage to scratch you, and you didn't use magic!"

"That would be pointless, a spar is supposed to be educational." Asgore smiles. "I have centuries of experience child, you have a mere nineteen. For such a disparity you did _remarkably_ well."

Chara does _not_ seem reassured.

###

"Come on Chara…"

"But I _like_ my sweater." The girl grumbles, reluctant to take it off. She's had it for so long it feels wrong not to wear it.

"We're not throwing it out or anything! It's just that… well… Mom doesn't want you wearing an old torn shirt. It makes her look like she's treating you poorly!" Asriel explains. "Besides, if you're not a kid you really shouldn't be wearing stripes."

Chara scowls. She slides the garment off her body, folds it neatly, and puts it in the closet. "Fine, what do you have for me?" She sighs, taking a seat on her bed.

Asriel forces his eyes off the numerous scars littering his friend's exposed arms. He wonders absently if her bandages are covering even more wounds. "Right, uh… mom got this."

"Pass. It's pink."

"That's what I told her. There's this too."

"Way too tight."

This carries on for several minutes. Chara turns down every single option for being the wrong colour, not baggy enough, or some other minor problem. Asriel isn't surprised, he knows how particular Chara is about what she wears.

"Okaaay… how about this one?"

Chara blinks in surprise. It looks exactly like her old sweater, but without the stripe. "That's perfect, why didn't you lead with that?"

"Because Mom was really hoping you'd like the others." Asriel admits. "She told me to show the sweater last. _I_ picked it out."

"You know me better than she does." Chara smirks. She grabs the new sweater and slips it on.

"Nah, I think she knew you'd like this. She just wanted you to 'flatter yourself' by not wearing something so baggy." The prince laughs.

"Of course she would." The girl snorts. "She doesn't know the danger of doing that."

Asriel debates reminding her that she's safe here and doesn't have to worry about _whatever_ it is she's worrying about, but he doubts Chara's paranoia is going to end today so he doesn't bother. "If you say so Chara."

###

"Chara?"

"What?"

"Are we friends?"

"Sure."

"No, I'm serious. Are we friends?"

"What brings this on?"

"W-Well, I always try to get you to play games and stuff right? But you always just follow along, and you're never the one to ask _me_. S-So I was just thinking that I might be getting in your way."

"I wouldn't say that. I _enjoy_ your company I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"I've never had a friend, I don't know what it's like. So maybe I'm your friend? I'm not sure."

"Do you have fun when we play games?"

"Yes."

"Does it annoy you when I invite you to play games?"

"No."

"I think we're friends then."

"Is that really all it is?"

"Well no… I-I don't have a good way to explain it. It means we care about each other."

"So if I'm willing to fight for you?"

"N-Not _specifically_ that, but I think that counts too."

"I guess we're friends then."

"You'd fight for me?!"

"Sure, I'm clearly better than you."

"Hey! I can make _fireballs_! You just throw knives around!"

"That sounds like a challenge."

"Maybe it is!"

"Childre- erm, Chara, Asriel!" Toriel's voice breaks the conversation. "Come set the table please!"

The two of them smirk, and back away from where they'd leaned in towards each other.

"I'm gonna win you know." Asriel taunts, moving to the door.. "Your little knives won't get me!"

"Keep talking goat boy." Chara sneers playfully, pushing past him to be the first to reach the dining room. "I'll have you bleating for help in a matter of seconds!"

* * *

 **I didn't really have a** _ **plan**_ **as to what the arc of this story was when I began, but I think the establishment of Chara and Asriel's friendship is a good note to end on. Maybe this story isn't horribly unique, but I had fun writing it.**


End file.
